Americans to eat 30 million pounds of snacks on 'Super Bowl Sunday'

Published: Sunday, January 27, 2008, 12:24 [IST]

Subscribe to Oneindia News

Washington, Jan 27 : Americans will binge on snacks the most on Super Bowl Sunday, for a research by the Calorie Control Council and the Snack Food Association, has found that the US population will consume almost 30 million pounds of snacks on the 'Super Bowl' Sunday.

This includes 11.2 million pounds of potato chips, 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips, 4.3 million pounds of pretzels, 3.8 million pounds of popcorn and 2.5 million pounds of nuts.

It has been estimated that an average armchair quarterback will consume 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat just from snacking, without counting meals.

It has also been revealed that the snacking king, potato chips will alone account for 27 billion calories and 1.8 billion grams of fat.

The council has also recommended pre-planning the Super Bowl event and menu to include no-fat and low-fat chips and dips.

As far as dips are concerned, it is possible to cut the fat without cutting the flavour.

One can go for salsa, which is fat-free, or substitute reduced-fat sour cream and non-fat yogurt. Also fresh herbs and spices such as cilantro, parsley and hot peppers can be used to add great flavour. Fresh vegetables and low-fat dips may also act as healthy appetizers.

In addition, choosing fat-free potato chips for the big game could save up to 300 calories per person. Also, fat-free potato chips could even cut 14 billion calories and 1.8 billion fat grams nationwide, from our snack attacks.

Beth Hubrich, a dietitian with the Council, recommended planning a "pre-Super Bowl Workout" before settling in to watch the game.

"For example, to burn off those 1,200 calories from snacking during the Super Bowl, it would take 3 hours of walking around a football field or 1 hour and 45 minutes of running. Or, if you want to get into the game spirit, it would take 2 hours of playing touch football to burn those calories," she said.

"You certainly don't want to have a dietitian at your Super Bowl party calling 'interference' when you and your friends start overindulging. But by doing a little game planning in advance, you can avoid becoming one of the millions of fans who eat 50 grams of fat in a very short period of time," Hubrich advised.